Gratitude to “Starlight Broadway”

“Starlight Broadway” at CCTV is a popular program similar to reality shows such as America Got Talent. The program gives ordinary people a stage to show their talents. Audiences across the nation love it. Wang Wei is a girl who made her name in the show. But hers is not a reputation built upon her showbiz talent. She is widely known for the new life she gained through the help of the program and its audience.

Born into an ordinary family in Tieli City， Heilongjiang Province in 1987， Wang Wei had malicious thyroid tumor at the age of eight after a high fever for a few days. She had surgery and recovered well. The tumor came back when she was about to graduate from primary school. This time， the family did not have money to have the tumor removed. Though the tumor was life threatening， it did not kill her immediately. It got worse slowly and gradually over years with some periods giving her no big trouble now and then. Wang Wei was able to go to school more or less regularly. But she knew and her family knew that her time was running out.

A cousin of hers studying at a college in Beijing invited Wang Wei to do some sightseeing around Beijing. Wang Wei at first was most reluctant to leave her parents， but she was finally persuaded. She had a great time in Beijing， visiting the most famous scenic spots such as the Palace Museum， the Summer Palace and the Great Wall. She also had time to do her study diligently.

She was hospitalized after she sat for the national college entrance examination. Two weeks later， she learned that she had got a good enough score to get her into a college in Beijing. So she applied for Beijing Teachers University. But shortly after she got the acceptance letter from the university， the tumor struck and she was hospitalized again.

It was in the hospital ward that she found the great appeal of “Starlight Broadway”. The ordinary people tell stories of their dreams and show their ordinary talents. Watching the program， Wang Wei was often touched by these ordinary people. One day it occurred to her that she could also appear at the popular show because she was a girl with dreams.

She wrote a letter to the “Starlight Broadway”. She said， she was approaching the end of her life， she was a girl without much showbiz talent， but she liked the show very much because it gave her courage to live on. She wanted to appear at “Starlight Broadway” at CCTV because she wanted to let the general public know that she was to donate her organs to those in need.

“Starlight Broadway” decided to invite Wang Wei. On April 2008， Wang Wei presented herself as a guest to the national audience at “Starlight Broadway”. The show that night was a final to decide who would be the weekly champion. The jurors read the letter to the audience. Wang Wei looked brilliant on the stage. She beamed， though the two huge tumors hang ugly from her neck. Her face showed no grief， resentment， or fear. After a brief conversation with the host， Wang Wei sang a song entitled “Always Sunshine after Storm”.

The news of the girl’s misfortune spread fast. The program crew got hundreds of telephone calls a day in the following days. People called to ask how Wang Wei was and if they could help. A nationwide donation started.

Beijing Coal Industrial General Hospital was chosen to perform the surgery. The hospital waived the nearly 100，000 yuan surgery charges. The tumors were life threatening. The largest swelling of a lymph node on the right of her neck measured 12 cm X 8 cm X 6cm whereas there were eight tumors of various sizes on the left side of the neck. The neck looked distorted and Wang Wei had difficulty breathing.

Wang Wei knew she might not be able to survive the surgery. She worried she might not live to say thank you to those who cared for her and who donated money that made the surgery possible.

Bi Fujian， the program host， came to visit Wang Wei at hospital. Learning about Wang’s apprehension， Bi Fujian explained， “Nobody expects to get any return on their donations to you. Your bravery is the best reward for them.”

At eight o’clock on the morning of April 29， 2008， she was wheeled into the operation room. The operation turned out to be more difficult than expected. She had a hemorrhage during the surgery. The doctors spent more than five hours removing the tumors. The surgery was a success. Nine days after the operation， Wang Wei was able to leave the hospital. In the following year， she went through a painful radiation therapy. She recovered well.

In August 2009， Wang Wei went back to the hospital for an overall checkup. The tumor cells had vanished. How happy was she to see the tumors that had harassed her for 13 years were gone! After a discussion with her family， she decided to go to a nurse school thinking working as a nurse in the future would give her opportunity to repay generosity and love to the society and help those in need. In September 2009， she was enrolled into a nurse school.

On May 29， 2010， Wang Wei was invited to appear at “Starlight Broadway” again. Wearing a nurse uniform this time， the girl beamed the same radiant smile that people had seen two years before. The tumors on her neck were gone. She sang a song entitled “Heart-felt Gratitude”. She promised that she would carry on the people’s love and help others. Also at the program， she donated schoolbags to children in Yushu， which had been hit by a killer earthquake on April 14， 2010.